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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,775 posts, read 15,776,851 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NALEXAND
I left NOVA 8 years ago and moved to Tampa Bay, primarily due to the much lower cost of living in FL and to be closer to family. I still have not gotten used to the climate and near constant heat here YET! I never thought I'd miss having 4 seasons and especially FALL. NOVA is so expensive but its home to me and I miss sooo many things about it. I just dont want to regret coming back because our lifestyle could change because alot of our extra money would go to housing expenses. Sigh! I hate this feeling. I hate that I cant seem to get NOVA out of my mind. I seriously think I need a shrink over this. Has anyone else ever left the area and felt this way?
Raises hand high!
I moved away 2 years and 4 months ago to Chapel Hill, NC. My husband got a job transfer and while he had some opportunities in the DC area, the job transfer was the best position and the most stable, so we decided to make the leap. I was excited about it in the "it will be an adventure" kind of way. And I thought it would be fun to discover a new area. Plus I always hated the cold so knew I'd like the weather a bit more. The excitement wore off before we even moved from Vienna, which I loved. I remember marching in the Vienna Halloween parade with my Girl Scout troop right before we moved and already being depressed about it. Seeing all of my friends' posts about Viva Vienna, our old school's happenings, fun events in DC, etc. doesn't make it any easier.
I've had a hard transition. I don't love my neighborhood I'm in now. The education my kids are receiving here is subpar - I HATE my daughter's middle school. I am far away from my family in PA. I've made many acquaintances but few, if any, friends. And the job market stinks and is low paying so it's not worth it for me to work. I've tried hard - my kids are in all kinds of activities, I'm a Girl Scout leader, I volunteer in my daughter's classroom and in the school's garden and I'm in a neighborhood book club. But I just cannot relate to being here. It's too southern, too small town, and too far away from my family and friends.
I would move back yesterday but my husband loves his job and likes living here. So I am stuck and it sucks. But the weather is a bit better, so there's that.
Omg michgc I am so glad that I am not alone! My husband likes it here too!
Sigh!!!#
Quote:
Originally Posted by michgc
Raises hand high!
I moved away 2 years and 4 months ago to Chapel Hill, NC. My husband got a job transfer and while he had some opportunities in the DC area, the job transfer was the best position and the most stable, so we decided to make the leap. I was excited about it in the "it will be an adventure" kind of way. And I thought it would be fun to discover a new area. Plus I always hated the cold so knew I'd like the weather a bit more. The excitement wore off before we even moved from Vienna, which I loved. I remember marching in the Vienna Halloween parade with my Girl Scout troop right before we moved and already being depressed about it. Seeing all of my friends' posts about Viva Vienna, our old school's happenings, fun events in DC, etc. doesn't make it any easier.
I've had a hard transition. I don't love my neighborhood I'm in now. The education my kids are receiving here is subpar - I HATE my daughter's middle school. I am far away from my family in PA. I've made many acquaintances but few, if any, friends. And the job market stinks and is low paying so it's not worth it for me to work. I've tried hard - my kids are in all kinds of activities, I'm a Girl Scout leader, I volunteer in my daughter's classroom and in the school's garden and I'm in a neighborhood book club. But I just cannot relate to being here. It's too southern, too small town, and too far away from my family and friends.
I would move back yesterday but my husband loves his job and likes living here. So I am stuck and it sucks. But the weather is a bit better, so there's that.
No offense to your hometown OP but my son competes in the USA-BMX series and I took him to race at NoVa BMX in Woodbridge and there is no way I would ever live or work up there, no matter how much it paid, the traffic is horrible and I'm originally from New York.
I was thinking about this the other night, having to have to battle homesickness myself. In my opinion when you move away from home there is a lot you miss but as time goes on a lot of those things you miss no longer exist.
I would love to go back to New York and have thanksgiving at my grandmothers house, when all the family got together ,the beauty of Putnam County in the fall, but I can't go back and do that cause my grandmother passed away 7 years ago.
When we think of our high school friends, how the holidays were, the first girl or boy you had a crush on, life growing up and the fun we had back in the day, everyone of us would pack up and run back home. The problem is what ever it is making you wanna return is probably no longer there. As you moved on a lot of your friends probably have as well.
Good perspective. I am not offended about your traffic observation at all because I know it is bad. Woodbridge isnt my hometown though. I grew up in Reston.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Armyvet1
No offense to your hometown OP but my son competes in the USA-BMX series and I took him to race at NoVa BMX in Woodbridge and there is no way I would ever live or work up there, no matter how much it paid, the traffic is horrible and I'm originally from New York.
I was thinking about this the other night, having to have to battle homesickness myself. In my opinion when you move away from home there is a lot you miss but as time goes on a lot of those things you miss no longer exist.
I would love to go back to New York and have thanksgiving at my grandmothers house, when all the family got together ,the beauty of Putnam County in the fall, but I can't go back and do that cause my grandmother passed away 7 years ago.
When we think of our high school friends, how the holidays were, the first girl or boy you had a crush on, life growing up and the fun we had back in the day, everyone of us would pack up and run back home. The problem is what ever it is making you wanna return is probably no longer there. As you moved on a lot of your friends probably have as well.
Last edited by NALEXAND; 05-28-2014 at 05:50 AM..
Reason: edit needed
But our move was kind of involuntary from the start. We moved to my home state of Rhode Island about six months ago from NoVA. I have a close family member here suffering from cancer, and this was the main reason we moved. It's a lousy reason to go, and I didn't really want to do it.
Still, I've been trying to keep a positive attitude. And there are some truly good things about our life in RI. My older son liked his school in NoVA, but he adores his school in RI. My husband has a wonderful job here. We live in a gorgeous house here for $200/month less than we were paying for basically a falling-apart shack in NoVA. Now that it is getting warm, close beach access is amazing. Being able to get in the car without adding 30 minutes for traffic buffer everywhere we go is wonderful. And being near family is nice for a lot of reasons, the cancer issue aside.
But...even given all that, if I could wave a magic wand and be back in NoVA, I would. No question. The thriving economy, for one. The people, for another. I know the D.C. area in general gets a lot of heat for being filled with Type A snobs, but I met a lot of people there I really connected with. Maybe I'm just a Type A snob, too And the diversity, not just racial but diversity of experience. Everyone here in RI comes from the same background because the place is so small. Nobody in NoVA asks what high school I went to, you know? I felt like the people I met in NoVA challenged me to have good conversations.
But my family is glad to have me here and my kids and spouse are doing well here, and I feel like a jerk for plotting ways to move away...preferably, back to NoVA.
But our move was kind of involuntary from the start. We moved to my home state of Rhode Island about six months ago from NoVA. I have a close family member here suffering from cancer, and this was the main reason we moved. It's a lousy reason to go, and I didn't really want to do it.
Still, I've been trying to keep a positive attitude. And there are some truly good things about our life in RI. My older son liked his school in NoVA, but he adores his school in RI. My husband has a wonderful job here. We live in a gorgeous house here for $200/month less than we were paying for basically a falling-apart shack in NoVA. Now that it is getting warm, close beach access is amazing. Being able to get in the car without adding 30 minutes for traffic buffer everywhere we go is wonderful. And being near family is nice for a lot of reasons, the cancer issue aside.
But...even given all that, if I could wave a magic wand and be back in NoVA, I would. No question. The thriving economy, for one. The people, for another. I know the D.C. area in general gets a lot of heat for being filled with Type A snobs, but I met a lot of people there I really connected with. Maybe I'm just a Type A snob, too And the diversity, not just racial but diversity of experience. Everyone here in RI comes from the same background because the place is so small. Nobody in NoVA asks what high school I went to, you know? I felt like the people I met in NoVA challenged me to have good conversations.
But my family is glad to have me here and my kids and spouse are doing well here, and I feel like a jerk for plotting ways to move away...preferably, back to NoVA.
I moved away 2 years and 4 months ago to Chapel Hill, NC. My husband got a job transfer and while he had some opportunities in the DC area, the job transfer was the best position and the most stable, so we decided to make the leap. I was excited about it in the "it will be an adventure" kind of way. And I thought it would be fun to discover a new area. Plus I always hated the cold so knew I'd like the weather a bit more. The excitement wore off before we even moved from Vienna, which I loved. I remember marching in the Vienna Halloween parade with my Girl Scout troop right before we moved and already being depressed about it. Seeing all of my friends' posts about Viva Vienna, our old school's happenings, fun events in DC, etc. doesn't make it any easier.
I've had a hard transition. I don't love my neighborhood I'm in now. The education my kids are receiving here is subpar - I HATE my daughter's middle school. I am far away from my family in PA. I've made many acquaintances but few, if any, friends. And the job market stinks and is low paying so it's not worth it for me to work. I've tried hard - my kids are in all kinds of activities, I'm a Girl Scout leader, I volunteer in my daughter's classroom and in the school's garden and I'm in a neighborhood book club. But I just cannot relate to being here. It's too southern, too small town, and too far away from my family and friends.
I would move back yesterday but my husband loves his job and likes living here. So I am stuck and it sucks. But the weather is a bit better, so there's that.
I know I've mentioned this before michgc, but I moved from NoVA to Raleigh back in 2006 and never looked back. We recently moved to Apex (Raleigh suburb) last year and we live in a great neighborhood, with awesome (mostly) neighbors. Everyone is super friendly. My wife and I have better jobs and make double the salary we did in NoVA 8 years ago. Real Estate is much more affordable and traffic jams last 5-10 minutes for the most part. There is no way we could have bought into the kind of neighborhood we live in now if we lived anywhere in NoVA. We also live among mostly transplants from NY, CA, FL and VA who love it here and don't plan on moving back to where their from either. This area is also one of the most educated areas in the country, just like NoVa. 63% of Apex adult residents (42k population) hold a bachelors degree or higher. RTP has many major corporations including IBM, Lenovo, GSK, etc.
In fact every time I go back to NoVA to visit family the traffic makes me sick. I just couldn't deal with that on a daily basis anymore. Here were hold open doors for each other and wave to strangers and I would honestly miss that if we moved back.
I grew up in NoVA and it'll always be home, but I don't plan on moving from NC anytime soon. I've never heard anyone describe Chapel Hill being too southern. It's the most liberal town in the Southeast US you could probably find. Even the mayor is openly gay!
Last edited by Waterboy526; 05-29-2014 at 10:47 AM..
I've always heard mostly good things from NOVirginians who'd relocated to NC. I am glad you are happy and not looking back. I think if I was in a place with 4 seasons, I would be happier. Crazy, but true. I even considered Charlotte, NC when I originally left Reston but couldnt get a job there and ended up in Tampa instead. Thing about NC is that I dont know many folks or have any family in the area but anyhow, glad you're happy there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterboy526
I know I've mentioned this before michgc, but I moved from NoVA to Raleigh back in 2006 and never looked back. We recently moved to Apex (Raleigh suburb) last year and we live in a great neighborhood, with awesome (mostly) neighbors. Everyone is super friendly. My wife and I have better jobs and make double the salary we did in NoVA 8 years ago. Real Estate is much more affordable and traffic jams last 5-10 minutes for the most part. There is no way we could have bought into the kind of neighborhood we live in now if we lived anywhere in NoVA. We also live among mostly transplants from NY, CA, FL and VA who love it here and don't plan on moving back to where their from either. This area is also one of the most educated areas in the country, just like NoVa. 63% of Apex adult residents (42k population) hold a bachelors degree or higher. RTP has many major corporations including IBM, Lenovo, GSK, etc.
In fact every time I go back to NoVA to visit family the traffic makes me sick. I just couldn't deal with that on a daily basis anymore. Here were hold open doors for each other and wave to strangers and I would honestly miss that if we moved back.
I grew up in NoVA and it'll always be home, but I don't plan on moving from NC anytime soon. I've never heard anyone describe Chapel Hill being too southern. It's the most liberal town in the Southeast US you could probably find. Even the mayor is openly gay!
I've always heard mostly good things from NOVirginians who'd relocated to NC. I am glad you are happy and not looking back. I think if I was in a place with 4 seasons, I would be happier. Crazy, but true. I even considered Charlotte, NC when I originally left Reston but couldnt get a job there and ended up in Tampa instead. Thing about NC is that I dont know many folks or have any family in the area but anyhow, glad you're happy there.
I don't have any hate for Northern Va and the one thing I do miss (sometimes...lol) is family, but we needed a change and looking back it was the right move for us. When we decided to relocate back in the fall of 2005, Orlando and Raleigh were on our short list. There is no doubt we made the right decision to go with Raleigh. We would have brought a house in Orlando in 2006 and would have gotten crushed by the downturn in the housing market, whereas Raleigh remained consistent since there was no huge run up in the first place.
If we had chosen Orlando there is no doubt we would have taken a bath on our house, not been able to find nearly the kinds of Jobs that are available here in the RTP area of NC and would have moved back to NoVA in worse shape then we left. I will admit the first year in NC was tough and we wondered whether we made the right decision, but now we're both in mutual agreement that moving back to NoVA would never be in the cards for us unless some recruiter wanted to offer us jobs with triple our salary currently. It's slightly hotter here than NoVA, but sometimes not and we have 4 distinct seasons, even if it's a little more mild with only 5-7 inches of snow on average. Plus when we have the urge to visit family, we're only a 4:20 hour drive with no traffic (275 miles to Fairfax).
NC is a very popular for relocation. We have friends in Cary and the running joke is Central Area Relocated Yankees. That's how many New Yorkers live there, my friends who live there are also from New York.
The wife and I took a weekend getaway for ourselves and we went to visit the area and really liked the Franklin Street. We visited the Duke Chapel in Durham but I think Chapel Hill had more going for it. If I was a young whipper snapper no offense to the Blue Devils but I would choose being a Tar Heel.
I personally think Virginia is a gorgeous state that offers something for everyone. I don't live in NoVa, I live down in Charlottesville area. It's nice to go up there and visit the museums and the national zoo, the national cemetery, I've heard Alexandria was something to see and I love the Air and Space Museum at Dulles. It's fun to visit, but I surely don't want to live there.
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I seriously think I need a shrink over this. Has anyone else ever left the area and felt this way?
And the diversity, not just racial but diversity of experience. Everyone here in RI comes from the same background because the place is so small. Nobody in NoVA asks what high school I went to, you know? I felt like the people I met in NoVA challenged me to have good conversations.
